Dr. Peter Boxall's "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006 edition)"

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Each work of literature listed here is a seminal work key to understanding and appreciating the written word. These works have been handpicked by a team of international critics and literary luminaries, including Derek Attridge (world expert on James Joyce), Cedric Watts (renowned authority on Joseph Conrad and Graham Greene), Laura Marcus (noted Virginia Woolf expert), and David Mariott (poet and expert on African-American literature), among some twenty others. (Description from Amazon.com)

This is a community list. You can contribute, edit, or help maintain it by adding it to your lists. Please do not remove or add titles that will change this list from how it appears in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die edited by Peter Boxall with an introduction by Peter Ackroyd.

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  1. 301.
    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
    by Douglas Adams

    Drag me to re-order


  2. 302.
    The Cement Garden
    by Ian Mcewan

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  3. 303.
    The World According to Garp
    by John Irving

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  4. 304.
    Life: A User's Manual
    by Georges Perec

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  5. 305.
    The Sea, The Sea (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
    by Iris Murdoch

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  6. 306.
    The Singapore Grip (New York Review Books Classics)
    by J.G. Farrell

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  7. 307.
    Yes (Phoenix Fiction Series)
    by Thomas Bernhard

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  8. 308.
    The Virgin in the Garden: A Novel
    by A.S. Byatt

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  9. 309.
    In the Heart of the Country: A Novel
    by J. M. Coetzee

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  10. 310.
    The Passion of New Eve
    by Angela Carter

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  11. 311.
    Delta of Venus
    by Anais Nin

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  12. 312.
    The Shining
    by Stephen King

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  13. 313.
    Dispatches
    by Michael Herr

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  14. 314.
    Petals of Blood
    by Ngugi wa Thiong'o

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  15. 315.
    Song of Solomon (Oprah's Book Club)
    by Toni Morrison

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  16. 316.
    The Hour of the Star (New Directions Paperbook)
    by Clarice Lispector

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  17. 317.
    ?
    The Left-Handed Woman
    by Peter Handke

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  18. 318.
    Ratner's Star
    by Don DeLillo

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  19. 319.
    The Public Burning
    by Robert Coover

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  20. 320.
    Interview with the Vampire
    by Anne Rice

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  21. 321.
    Cutter and Bone (Midnight Classics)
    by Newton Thornburg

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  22. 322.
    ?
    Amateurs
    by Donald BARTHELME

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  23. 323.
    Patterns of Childhood
    by Christa Wolf

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  24. 324.
    The Autumn of the Patriarch (Perennial Classics)
    by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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  25. 325.
    W, or the Memory of a Childhood
    by Georges Perec

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  26. 326.
    ?
    A Dance to the Music of Time (series)
    by Anthony Powell

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  27. 327.
    Grimus.
    by Salman Rushdie

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  28. 328.
    The Dead Father
    by Donald Barthelme

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  29. 329.
    Fateless
    by Imre Kertesz

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  30. 330.
    Willard and His Bowling Trophies
    by Richard Brautigan

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  31. 331.
    High Rise (Flamingo Modern Classic)
    by J.G. Ballard

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  32. 332.
    Humboldt's Gift (Penguin Classics)
    by Saul Bellow

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  33. 333.
    Dead Babies
    by Martin Amis

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  34. 334.
    Correction
    by Thomas Bernhard

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  35. 335.
    Ragtime
    by E. L. Doctorow

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  36. 336.
    The Fan Man
    by William Kotzwinkle

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  37. 337.
    Dusklands
    by J. M. Coetzee

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  39. 339.
    Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
    by John le Carre

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  40. 340.
    Breakfast of Champions
    by Kurt Vonnegut

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  41. 341.
    Fear of Flying
    by Erica Jong

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  42. 342.
    A Question of Power (African Writers)
    by Bessie Head

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  43. 343.
    The Siege of Krishnapur (New York Review Books Classics)
    by J.G. Farrell

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  44. 344.
    The Castle of Crossed Destinies
    by Italo Calvino

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  45. 345.
    Crash: A Novel
    by J. G. Ballard

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  46. 346.
    The Honorary Consul: A Novel (Simon & Schuster Classics)
    by Graham Greene

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  47. 347.
    Gravity's Rainbow (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
    by Thomas Pynchon

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  48. 348.
    The Black Prince (Penguin Classics)
    by Iris Murdoch

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  49. 349.
    Sula (Oprah's Book Club)
    by Toni Morrison

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  50. 350.
    Invisible Cities (A Harvest/Hbj Book)
    by Italo Calvino

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This is a community list. You can contribute, edit, or help maintain it by adding it to your lists.
Created by starlagurl on Mar 27, 2006.
 

Comments

Pages: Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 7 9 10 11 12 13

nixo42
Torpoint

Jacques the Fatalist — 2 years ago

Moved to correct position ie from page 20 to page 19 between Burney’s ‘Camilla’ and Diderot’s ‘The Nun’. Otherwise checking through 1001 books the list is accurate.

Aug 18, 03:36AM | 0 comments | Reply to this

Mayhem17
Vancouver

Now I know why — 2 years ago

The list goes from 138 to 140 with no 139, still only 1001 books

Aug 17, 03:57PM | 0 comments | Reply to this

Mayhem17
Vancouver

1002 — 2 years ago

How come the list now goes up to 1002?

Aug 16, 05:50PM | 0 comments | Reply to this

Perlle
East Hampton

Changes — 2 years ago

I deleted the Stephen King book that someone thought would be a good personal addition to the list.

I also replaced the version of Saturday that someone decided to change to a less popular version.

People, come on, stop messing with the list!

Jul 31, 05:57AM | 0 comments | Reply to this

DenverGreen
London

Untitled — 2 years ago

12% at 24 – if I keep up the current pace then I could potentially finish the list when I’m 65. The big question though is what would a 1001 look like then?
Seriously though this list is so inspiring in that despite television’s best efforts there are still hundreds of books to amaze, astound, provoke, intrigue and make you think in a different way for a whole lifetime and beyond!
A big thanks to the person who spent the time putting this list on the ‘net – I’d never have the patience.

Jul 12, 06:42PM | 0 comments | Reply to this

tjan
Amsterdam

Will never get there — 2 years ago

My first review of this list puts me at 7%. But I can honestly say that there are a lot of books on the list I’ll never read! But it does give some good guidance for when you are in a bookstore or library wondering what to pick up. Some authors appear to be a little over represented including Raymond Chandler and Don DiLillo.

Jul 10, 03:49AM | 0 comments | Reply to this

bartzturkeymom
Seattle

#172 — 2 years ago

The number 172 is missing from the list and all of the books from that point seem to be one number off.

171 Downriver by Ian Sinclair is right

no 172
#173 Senor Vivo should be #172
#174 Wise children should be #173
etc.

Jul 08, 07:34AM | 1 comment | Reply to this

Mayhem17
Vancouver

Downriver William Hobbs — 2 years ago

Who added this to the list and which book did they take out. I’ve got a copy of 1001 books to read before you die, and I don’t remember seeing this. The list should read as it does in the book. If we all changed it to what we thought there is several books I would remove and add.
Could someone correct the list.

Jun 30, 05:29PM | 1 comment | Reply to this

southernbohemian
Austin

When will people stop messing with this list? — 2 years ago

Thanks to the person(s) who removed the description and added Harry Potter (now removed). Does anyone have the original description?

Jun 27, 08:53PM | 0 comments | Reply to this

minderbinder

What about.. — 2 years ago

Hmm. I’ve noticed that these were left out, they seem like ‘classics’ that would have been on there:
As I Lay Dying – Faulkner
The Awakening – Kate Chopin
The Red Badge of Courage – Stephen Crane
Boys from Brazil – ?
The Age of Reason – Sartre
Confessions of Nat Turner – Stryon.

And I’m guessing this list is composed of ONLY fictional literature, (I suppose with the exception of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) because not only is SHAKESPEARE completely missing, there isn’t any historical/nonfiction books that I saw.

Jun 26, 09:58PM | 3 comments | Reply to this


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